The Black, or Double Spruce (A. nigra), sometimes also called the Red Spruce, is very common in the north; and, according to Michaux, forms a third part of the forests of Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, as well as New Brunswick and Lower Canada. The leaves are quite short and stiff, and clothe the young branches around the whole surface; and the whole tree, where it much abounds, has rather a gloomy aspect. In the favorable humid black soils of those countries, the Black Spruce grows 70 feet high, forming a fine tall pyramid of verdure. But it is rarely found in abundance further south, except in swamps, where its growth is much less strong and vigorous. Mingled with other evergreens, it adds to the variety, and the peculiar coloring of its foliage gives value to the livelier tints of other species of Pine and Fir.
